


The Night of Times Gone Bye

by EliseNeilsen



Category: Wild Wild West (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:07:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25439689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EliseNeilsen/pseuds/EliseNeilsen
Summary: Jim is sick and Artie  wonders if he's going to lose his partner
Kudos: 3





	The Night of Times Gone Bye

The Night of Times Gone Bye  
Washington D. C.  
James West and Artemus Gordon walked up the steps to the Department of the Treasury building and James opened the door. “After you my friend.”  
James nodded his head, removed his hat and entered the building. The two men were greeted at the entrance by a sergeant in military uniform. He looked up at the two men. “James West and Artemus Gordon to see Director Malone.” West spoke  
“Straight down this hall.” The man pointed straight ahead of them. “Through the door and the end of the hall.”  
“Thank you.” West strode down the hallway accompanied by Gordon. James rolled his shoulders and flexed neck muscles trying to get rid of the growing tension he felt there.  
“You alright, Jim?”  
“Just sore, I didn’t sleep well last night. And I’m starting to get a splitting headache.” He grimaced at the pain in his neck and rubbed the back of his neck.  
“Are you sure you’re alright?”  
“No, but let’s just get this over with. Skinny just wants a chance to yell at us, then we can get on with our well-earned rest.” West reached out and knocked on the door.  
“Come in!”   
“Director,” James and Artemus entered the large office and saw the short, skinny man seated behind a massive desk. “Where the hell have you two been?” Skinny rose to his feet, resting his hands flat on his desk.  
James groaned, bent over dropping his hat to the floor, and grabbed hold of the back of the chair in front of him to keep from collapsing completely.   
“Jim!...Jim?” Artie swiftly crossed the space between himself and his partner.  
Jim groaned again and staggered sideways right into Gordon’s enfolding arms. West groaned again and doubled over in pain as every muscle in his body seized up, even his heart contracted in his chest causing him to gasp for breath. Unable to stay on his feet the federal agent’s knees buckled and he began to slide to the floor. He felt his partner wrap his arms around him and eased him to the floor.  
“Take it easy, Jim.” Artie sank to the carpet holding West tightly against his chest. “Just take it easy.”  
Another spasm hit and James tried to curl into a ball, but he was prevented by the spasms racking his body. “Cold…so…cold” he whispered, his teeth chattering as he tried to take hold of his partner’s arm. Yet, sweat was running down his face.  
“Easy, Jim, just take it easy.” Artemus struggled to get his coat off, finally managing it he wrapped his partner in then pressed him tightly to his chest. He could hear the younger man gasping for breath. Slowly rubbing his hand up and down James’ back feeling the muscles tightened under his fingers. He could never remember feeling muscles tighten like James’ were. He looked up and Skinny Malone. “What in god’s name are you waiting for get a doctor!”  
The director strode over to the door, pulled it open and yelled, “Get me a doctor and get one now!”  
Jim tried to bury himself into Artemus’ chest as the pain racking his body increased. He whimpered trying to get away from the pain. Finally he managed to wrap his fingers around his partner’s and hold on tightly. As the minutes ticked by Jim lost all sense of time, the only thing he could dimly perceive through the pain was Artie’s gentle voice and touch. “Artie, please make it stop.” He gasped trying to ride out the pain, but there was no relief. His vision swam going suddenly blindingly bright, then so dark he was completely blind. “Artie….” West tried to speak, but the spasms had paralyzed his vocal cords. The spasms were getting worse along with them was an unbearable pain. He was barely conscious, but acutely aware of the sound of his partner’s frantic heartbeat. Gordon’s voice seemed to penetrate the roaring in his ears. He whimpered trying to bury himself in his partner’s chest.   
The door to the office opened and a young man came in escorted by two secret service agents. He dropped down to his knees beside the two men. “Can you tell me what’s happening here?”  
“James,” Artie nodding to the man in his arms. “He didn’t seem to be feeling well this morning. He mentioned not sleeping well last night and said that he was developing a splitting headache. We got here maybe about twenty minutes ago. He suddenly doubled over and I grabbed him to keep him from hitting the desk if he fell. I eased him to the floor and he said something about being cold. I wrapped him in my coat and waited for a doctor to arrive, which I presume is you?”  
“Yes,” the young man gently reached out and touched James, but the doctor quickly pulled back as the younger agent began to violently tremble and tried to pull away from him. He quickly opened his medical bag and fished around finally finding the bottle of medication he was searching for. He withdrew a syringe and filled the bottle with the medication. He looked at Gordon. “I need to administer a very strong sedative. I can’t touch him without causing him more pain than he is already in. I need you to give it to him, because right now you’re the only one who can touch him.”  
“What’s wrong with him?” Gordon looked at the young doctor his brown eyes filled with deep concern.  
“I…I think he’s been poisoned possibly with cyanide. One of the symptoms is severe muscle spasms. “I’m hoping, that this sedative is going to stop the spasms and your friend’s pain.”  
“Just stick the needle straight through his clothes. This is a very large dose and I’m also hoping that this will knock him out. It’s his sensitivity to outside stimulus which is causing his increasing spasms and pain. Please, just give him the injection.” The doctor requested.  
Gordon swiftly jabbed the needle in James’ upper arm and pushed the plunger. He felt James go completely rigid in his arms and he looked at the doctor in alarm. “Do you have any idea how James has be poisoned?”  
“Well cyanide occurs naturally in nature. They are in apple seeds and peach pits, almonds. Other than that I have no idea. Just give the sedative a moment, it will work.” The doctor assured Gordon. The two men watched as West slowly began to relax. His breathing eased and the severe spasms in the muscles under Artemus’ hand began to lessen.   
“I can feel him beginning to relax.”   
“Good, that’s good.” The doctor gently touched James on the shoulder and got no reaction from the agent.  
“What in blazes in going on here?” Skinny Malone stomped over to the three men on the floor.  
“James been poisoned.” Gordon looked up at the secret service director.  
“We need to get him someplace peaceful and quite, any suggestions?” The doctor rose to his feet walked over to a sofa, picked up a pair of blankets, shook them out and returned to lay them over James.  
“We can take him to the train, it’s our home.” Artemus looked down at the light brown hair of his partner.  
“Train? You two live on a train?” The doctor looked bewildered and closed his bag.  
“We do, we’re partners. I’m Artemus Gordon and this is James West.” The older agent introduced himself and the now unconscious man in his arms.  
“Speaking of that train.” Malone stepped into Artie’s sight. “You two are going to have to find somewhere else to live.”  
“No as a matter of fact, we won’t” Gordon stated his voice cold and hard as ice. “That train belongs to James and me permanently. President Grant saw to that before he left the presidency, so back off Skinny.” The director stepped back out of range of Gordon’s gaze.  
There was a knock at the door and the director went over to the door and opened it. A pair of men carrying a stretcher entered the room and walked over to the three men on the floor. They gently took West from his partner’s arms and laid him on the stretcher, covered the younger agent and lifted him, carrying it out of the office and down the corridor.  
“Why don’t we take him straight to the hospital?”  
“Because, where the hospital is located is in the business district and it very noisy. From the way your partner was acting when that man began yelling and I tried to touch him the hospital is the last place I would want to take him.” The doctor lifted one eye lid and nodded in satisfaction, James’ pupils were tightly constricted, indicating deep unconsciousness.  
Twenty minutes later they arrived at the train and Artemus unlocked the parlor car and allowed the men to carry James into the car and through the swinging door directly to James’ bedroom. With the assistance of the two stretcher bearers, they undressed the younger agent, got him into pajamas and into bed. Gordon saw the two men out of the car, pulled the whistle and the engine slowly began to move. The doctor who had followed the stretcher and Gordon into the train looked at the older agent. “You said that James need peace and quiet. He’s not going to get that here in Washington, he’s too well know. I have an idea,” The secret service agent swiftly left the room and headed toward the engine. After giving Kelly and his boys their instructions. He returned to the parlor car, picked up a chair and carried into James’ room.   
“Just exactly where are you taking us, Mr. Gordon.”  
“West.” Gordon held open the bedroom door and allowed the doctor to proceed him. “If you’ll follow me I’ll show you to the spare room. Make yourself comfortable, doctor.” He opened the door and allowed the doctor into the room, then closed the door and returned to James’ room. He pulled a chair alongside the bed, made himself as comfortable as possible, took hold of his partner’s hand and silently began to pray.

On the western side of the Mississippi River  
Artemus walked to the engine and called up to Kelly the engineer. “Kelly, do you know of someplace, some siding where we won’t be disturbed by nosey nellies.  
The engineer thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “As a matter of fact I do know of such a place, want me and the boys to take you there?”  
“Yes, as fast as you can.”  
“We’ll need to stop for water and to pick up more fuel, but that won’t take long.”  
“Alright, let’s get started then, shall we?”  
The train whistle blew and blew, the bell rang as it approached a small town and came to a stop alongside a wooden platform. Steam hissed and the smoke stack belched dark smoke as the back door to the final car opened and Henry Thomas stepped outside. He yawned, stretched and looked around at a very small town. The town was only one side of the tracks, on the other was sage brush, cactus, dead trees, and not a single animal or even a bird in sight. He’s never seen anything so desolate in his entire life. He had lived his entire thirty years on the east coast. In fact he had never been further west than Pittsburgh. He turned around to see Artemus Gordon crossing the parlor. “Ah, Mr. Gordon, is there any change in Mr. West’ condition?”  
“No. Thought you might like some coffee.” The agent held out a cup and saucer. “Breakfast will be ready shortly, if you’ll excuse me?” Artemus turned, crossed the parlor and disappeared through the swinging door.  
Henry sipped thoughtfully at the dark, bitter liquid. Finishing, he took the cup and saucer back into the parlor, set it down on table and went to check on his patient. Moving as quietly and slowly as he could, the young doctor set his medical bag down on the night stand and opened it carefully. He took out his stethoscope and listened to his patient’s heart and lungs. The younger agent’s heart beat was erratic and his breathing shallow and labored. Straightening, he reached into his medical bag looking for a particular medication. Finally finding it he removed the small bottle and a syringe. He filled the syringe, put a tunicate just above the young man’s elbow then cleaned the skin with alcohol, then inserted the needle, pulled back the plunger pulling blood into the top of the syringe. He then pushed the plunger injecting the medication into the vein. Leaving the needle in place he took a second syringe filled it with the sedative, removed the needle and attached the second syringe to the needle he had left in James’ vein. He drew back the plunger, then pushed it and the medication in the vein. He removed the needle, pulled the syringe and dropped all six pieces into a sterile solution in a tray at the bottom of his medical bag.  
Artemus finished preparing .breakfast and headed into the parlor. There was no sign of the doctor. Placing the plates on the table, Gordon headed into the front part of the custom designed Pullman car. The door to James’ room opened and Henry quietly stepped out into the narrow hallway. “I’ve given Mr. West some more sedative and two more drugs, one to stabilize his heart and another to ease his breathing. It’s better if I keep him sedated for now. I’ve additionally give him a large dose of vitamin B12 to help prevent any long term damage to Mr. West’s internal organs. He should sleep for an additional twenty four to thirty six hours. The longer he sleeps the better his recovery is going to be. I’m beginning to think that my initial diagnosis was incorrect. The symptoms Mr. West is showing, does not fit cyanide poisoning. All I can do right now is treat his symptoms as they arise.”  
“Thank you doctor. Your breakfast in on the table in the parlor.” The older agent moved out of the young man’s way, then entered his partner’s bedroom. He seated himself and gently took hold of Jim’s hand. It was cold, and felt lifeless, almost as if his partner were already dead. “Come back to Jim…I don’t want to do this without you, I don’t want another partner. Without you there’s no reason to do this anymore.” Gordon spoke more to himself than his partner. “I can’t handle losing you, James my boy, that’s too painful to even think about.”  
There was no response from the still form in the bed. James remained motionless, unnaturally still, that was not like his young partner. Jim was more like a caged tiger always poised and ready for action. He was supremely self-confident, sure in the knowledge of his skills and abilities. They’d both gone through the unpleasantness called the Civil War. Both had fought for the Union. James had distinguished himself with numerous battlefield promotions, and medals, he had even won the Congressional Medal of Honor the highest award given to military personnel who go above and beyond the call of duty. His young partner had earned that medal by saving numerous men’s lives at the Battle of the Wilderness. No one who had been there could forget the huge conflagration that had been set off by the gunfire. Men on both sides had burned to death, their screams could be heard over the sounds of the fire, cannon fire and rifle fire. Over three thousand men lost their lives at the Battle of the Wilderness, it was the turning point in the war. That battle was where he had met a young captain named James West. He had heard of the young man, brash, bold and highly skilled, Artemus didn’t know how skilled the young captain was until out of nowhere West came flying past him on his horse and with a single motion pulled Gordon up behind and disappeared back into the tangle of the underbrush. Just as they reached the tree line cannon balls exploded where he had been standing. “You all right?” he heard James question.  
“I am now, thanks to you. I’d have died back there if you haven’t gotten to me as quickly as you did.”  
“So you’re not hurt?”  
“Doesn’t feel like it,” Artemus grabbed James by the waist and the horse jerked and caught himself and stayed on his feet. The huge animal suddenly gathered itself and literally flew over an embankment and ditch. Without losing a single stride the big black animal raced toward the Union lines and passed through. Captain Gordon heard other horses and looked to each side, his entire company was up behind men on horses not one single member seemed to be injured. “You rescued my entire company?”  
“Of course, I couldn’t save just you, so my unit followed my lead and each one of us picked a man, rode up grabbed him threw him on the horse however he could and got out as quickly as possible. This isn’t the first time nor will it be the last time we do this, we’ve gotten quite good at it. The General seems to approve.”  
“Which General? There are quite a few around here.”  
“Grant of course, I’m his aide de camp, for some reason he seems to like me, can’t quite figure out why though.” The horses galloped through the lines and came to a sliding halt and James vaulted off his horse right in front of General Ulysses S. Grant. He saluted smartly and said. “Mission accomplished.” He turned and pointed to Gordon who was still sitting on the big black animal.  
Finally sliding to the ground, Artemus approached the General, saluted and said, “For my men and myself thank you sir for the timely rescue.”  
“No need to thank me, thank West here.” Grant nodded toward the young captain.  
“Thank you Captain West for the timely rescue of my men and myself.” He saluted the young man. James grinned and returned the salute. “You’re welcome Captain Gordon. Please try to stay out of trouble, there’s only one rescue per customer, and you and yours just got your one and only.” The young officer grinned.   
“James.” Grant shifted his cigar and looked at the cheeky young man.  
“Yes?”   
“Get back on that horse of yours there more men out there so save so get going.” Grant put the cigar back into the corner of his mouth, then paused just as he was turning his horse’s head. “Report directly to me at my tent at sundown. And Captain Gordon, take your men behind the lines get something to eat and take a rest.”  
“Yes sir! Thank you sir,” Gordon saluted turned and began to gather his men.  
“Gordon, just a piece of advice, don’t ever Sir, General Grant he hates it. Trust me, you do not want to get a dressing down from him, it can be brutal.” James warned leaping onto the back of his horse, called his men and they quickly disappeared back into the trees.  
Later at just as the sun was going down West walked up to Gordon, “Come on, the boss wants to see us” Artemus followed James through the camp coming to the center and a large open tent. Out in front General Grant and several members of his personal staff were seated around a small table eating dinner. “Better hurry if you want to eat boy,” the General pointed with his cigar at the nearly empty cauldron.  
James, smiled, grabbed two dishes handed one to Artemus and helped himself to whatever was in the black kettle hanging over the small cooking fire. He found a seat on the ground, crossed his legs and began eating with a single minded intensity of a young teen age boy who hasn’t eaten for several hours, no make that days.  
“James,”  
“General?” The kid responded looking up at his commanding officer.  
“Report.”  
James sat his bowl down and gave the most comprehensive report Artemus Gordon had ever heard. This kid missed nothing, he seemed to know where every Confederate cannon was placed, how many men compromised each battery and how many rifles guarded each cannon placement. Where the entrenchments were how deep they were and how many men occupied each. West’s report was invaluable and unbelievably accurate. Gordon just sat and listened to the report. There was no guess work, no estimations, nothing but the exact facts, numbers and placement of Lee’s men. This kid was amazing.  
“Good anything else to report?”  
“No.”  
“Finish your dinner I want you to work with Gordon here in the next phase of the campaign.”  
“Okay.”  
The General shook his head. “Oh and West.”  
“Yes?”  
“You’re now a Major hand over those captain’s bars.” Grant held out his hand for the gold insignia on the collar and tabards of West’s uniform.  
James quickly removed them handing them to the General, who gave him his complete set of major’s golden leafs to attach to his uniform. James put on the major’s insignia sat down and finished his now cold dinner. The General shook his head, laughed, took the cigar out his mouth and began to speak to his military advisors about the coming days and where they were going and who was being sent where.  
“Come on Artie, this doesn’t concern us.” James got up grabbed all the empty bowls and cauldron. He headed toward the closest stream. Reaching it he squatted down on his heels and began rinsing out the bowls and cauldron.  
“Do you always do the washing up?”  
“Only on the days I don’t cook.”  
“You cook too?”  
“Have to no one does or will, and the General certainly won’t, he hates his own cooking. When he found out that I could cook, he made sure that I was assigned as his aide de camp. I make sure he eats and gets some sleep even if it isn’t always enough.”  
“You really like him don’t you?”  
“Yeah, he’s more to me than my commanding officer.”  
“So tell me about yourself.” Gordon finished his half of the washing up.  
“Not much to tell really. No family, my parents are gone they both died in the Russian Flu epidemic. I was at West Point by that time. I got a special leave to go home, but I arrived too late, they were both gone by the time I got home. I buried them on the same day, three days later I buried my Uncle’s entire family. I then returned to the Point; graduated as a first lieue. Was assigned to an Illinois regiment and as they say the rest is history. I’ve been with General Grant since the beginning of the war. Served under him at Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. Served under General Ball at Shiloh. I was promoted to captain and served directly under General Grant at Vicksburg, then Champion Hill, and Chattanooga. I came east with him when he was made Lieutenant General. I do a lot of undercover intelligence gathering and transmission of the same. Keeps me out of trouble, and I do have a tendency to get into trouble, just ask the General sometime, he can tell you some pretty hair raising stories about me.” West turned his head and looked at Gordon. “So what about you?”  
“Not much to say. Both my parents are gone, only child. Graduated George Washington University with a Master’s in Literature specializing in Shakespeare. I have a Bachelor’s in fine arts with an emphasis in acting. I’ve been on Broadway and in Chicago, and San Francisco. Before the war broke out I was traveling around the country with a Shakespeare troupe preforming in different towns around the county. Now, I’m an infantry captain under General Sherman. My command and I got separated from the main body because of all the smoke, and were trying to find our way to safety when you and yours came to the rescue. Do you do a lot of rescuing?’  
“Yep, more so here in the east than out in the western theatre.”   
James rose to his feet gathered the bowls and cauldron and headed back to the camp. He stopped at the food wagon, gathered what he would need to fix breakfast, and then headed back to the General’s tent.  
There was a stir from the bed and the cold almost lifeless hand beneath his own interrupted his reverie of days gone by. A pair of blurry green eyes looked up at him trying to make sense of what was going on around him. Artemus quickly leaned forward and tightened his grip on James’ hand. “Take it easy Jim,”  
“Artie, where are we?”  
“In a small town somewhere in central Colorado territory. I had to get you out of Washington. You’ve been poisoned with sometime very like cyanide. At least that’s what the doctor thought originally, but now he is having second thoughts. I brought him along, gave him no choice really. You might say I kidnapped the poor fellow. His name is Henry Winston, he’s been treating you.”  
“How did I get poisoned?” James struggled, moving around on the mattress trying to find a comfortable position and failed he had also failed to hear his partner’s reply. Suddenly, pain exploded through him and gasped as muscles contracted and his heart began pounding as if were going to burst. “Gods, Artie,” West tighten his hold on Gordon’s hand. James shifted around in the bed trying to find a comfortable position and failed. “Artie, I…I can’t breathe and my chest it’s like it’s on fire.”   
“Henry!!” Gordon moved yelled and moved to the bed. “Henry!!” He sat down on the edge of the bed and tried to ease West’s pain.  
The door to the small bedroom flew open and Henry appeared in the doorway medical bag in hand. Moving swiftly to his patient’s side he dropped to the floor of the rail car and opened his bag. Pulling out the stethoscope he listen to his patients heart he tried to listen to James’ but with the young man unable to hold still he could hear very little. “Mr. Gordon, could you please hold him still for just a moment, I have to listen to his heart and lungs.”  
Despite his extreme pain, James allowed Artemus to take hold of him. The older man’s presence was comforting and warm. All he could feel was pain and a terrible cold kept sweeping over him. He pressed as close to his partner as he could get allowing Artemus to tighten his hold around his violently shaking body. Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his right shoulder, which he could no longer feel much of anyway. He heard voices but couldn’t seem to identify them. All he could do was cling to his partner and pray that whatever the young doctor had given him worked and worked quickly. He didn’t know how much more of this he would be able to stand. Slowly the pain began to recede, but didn’t quite go away all together, but at least it was bearable. Now, if only he could get warm, he was shivering violently. “Artie….I’m….so…cold….”  
“What did he say, Mr. Gordon?”  
“He said he was cold. Is it possible that Jim has malaria?”   
“I suppose it is. Did Mr. West serve in the war?”  
“He did in both theaters.”  
“Then yes, it is possible he has malaria. Has he shown any sign that he may have been infected?” Henry looked in his bag and withdrew a new syringe. The looking at the older agent as Artie shook his head in the negative. “Do you perhaps have a microscope handy?” The doctor drew a blood sample.  
“I have a lab in the forward car, everything you need should be there.” Gordon rose and disappeared momentarily, then returned with a goose down feather bed. He wrapped James in the heavy quilt.   
Slowly, ever so slowly Jim stopped shivering and drifted off to sleep.  
In the forward car Henry Thomas took a drop of James’ blood put it on a slide. Using the cover of the slide he spread the blood, then began waving it in the air to dry it. He prepared a thick blood smear and dried it as well. Using light microscopy he peered through the eye piece and slowly began scanning the first slide. He used a grid pattern moving up and down then across the cover of the slide. He found no trace of the malaria parasite. Removing the first slide he repeated the procedure finding no evidence of malaria. “Well, that’s just today, I’ll have to check several more times just to be completely sure.” Straightening he disposed of the two slides and the remaining blood. Then returned to James’ room.  
“From the test I just finished on Mr. West’s blood, I found no indication that he has the malaria parasite. But I will continue to test him regularly, sometimes it is difficult to make a definitive diagnosis. The parasite does not show up on the first, second or even third test so I will keep testing.”  
“So if it’s not malaria or cyanide, then what’s making James so sick?”   
“Right now, I wish I knew. I just have no idea. I’m just going to support him and treat his symptoms. Right now, that’s all I do.”  
The men felt the train gradually slow. Artie got up from his chair and raised the shade and watched a very large cottonwood tree slide past the car. He pulled the shade back down and returned to his seat beside James’ bed. There was a knock on the bedroom door and Kelly opened it. “Mr. Gordon, sir, we’ve arrived. No one uses this siding and those cottonwoods will keep even the engine hidden from view. There’s a natural spring to the right of the car as you come out the door, and there should be plenty of mule deer and elk around to supply meat. Do you want us to go hunting?”  
“If you don’t mind Kelly, I can’t leave James alone.”  
“I can stay with Mr. West, if you need to go with Kelly.” Thomas volunteered.  
“I would, but James is a vet of the war and he could react very violently to someone he doesn’t know being near when he wakes. Any veteran will tell you the same thing. There are certain signals that we use to distinguish between friend and foe. Jim could kill you before he even woke fully and I’d rather not have your death on either of our consciousness, but thank you anyway.” Artemus rose and moved toward the door. “I should fix some lunch. If you want to go hunting, go ahead and go with Kelly.”  
“Uh, I’m not really a hunter, Mr. Gordon. I’m a city boy actually.” Henry shut his medical bag and set it off to one side out of Gordon’s way. “I’ll be in the parlor if you need me. I found several books on your shelves if you don’t mind my reading them.” He moved past the agent and the engineer.  
“No help yourself, some belong to me and some to James. It doesn’t matter whose book you read.” Artemus prepared lunch and returned to James’ room.

Colorado Territory  
Artemus sat beside his partner’s bed watching him sleep. He remembered talking with James about their last case. It had been more than difficult and dangerous and he had paid a heavy price for stopping a group of revolutionaries He could hear James’ voice describe how he had tracked the men responsible for kidnapping him and how he had finally found them “I moved slowly trying to keep to the shadows, which weren’t many. I scrambled over several rocks and around tumbleweeds. I could overlook a small group of buildings surrounded by a palisade. In the center was a trough used for watering horses and other large animals. On the far side of the compound I spotted a barn with chickens pecking the ground around outside it. This was the place I had been told about, the place where Artie was being held.   
“I dashed down the hill trying to keep to the shadows cast by the setting sun he made it to the open gate and moved into the compound and dashed across the center hiding behind the watering trough. Then ran toward the barn and managed to get inside and find a place to hide. The barn door came open and lamplight shown in as a man carried the lantern in and finished opening the door to allow the horses and cattle into the barn. I ducked down even further hiding under a manger.” A milk cow entered the stall that I was hiding in and mooed at him. I remained silent and motionless as I could.   
“Come out of there with your hands raised, you do not want me to come in after you.”  
James moved slowly with his hands in the air and carefully moved past the milk cow. “I entered the aisle and looked up at a giant of a man holding the gun pointed it at me, he was bigger than Voltaire, remember him?” The gunman motioned for West to proceed him. “We left the barn and walked slowly toward an outbuilding with a hefty padlock keeping the door shut. “You move, I’ll shoot you, understand?”  
“Yes.” The secret service agent remained motionless as the padlock on the door was removed and the man holding him at gunpoint opened it. “Inside.” He followed the young agent into the dark interior of a storage shed. The man holding the gun shoved him in the back causing him to fall over something in the middle of the room. The door slammed shut leaving him in pitch darkness. He remained motionless searching his jacket pockets. Before he could find a match he heard a moan coming from in front of him. He stopped searching and began crawling forward moving his hands back and forth searching for where the moans were coming from. He touched hair, then cloth as he moved his hand past the head and shoulders down the sides of the body. He carefully rolled the body over and received a pain filled moan. “Artie?”  
“Jim?”  
“How badly are you hurt?”   
“Can’t tell, there isn’t a part of me that doesn’t hurt.” The older agent tried to move and every cell in his body screamed. “Careful there, James they gave me a pretty good going over. You got a light?”  
“Hang a minute, I have to find a match.” James finally found one and struck it and looked around finally finding a lamp sitting near the door. He moved carefully past Artemus and walked over to the lamp. After removing the chimney he lit the wick and turned up the light. He replaced the glass covering the light and carried it over to his partner. “Gods, Artemus, you weren’t kidding when you said they worked you over.” There were bruises and marks over most of Gordon’s face. West eased the older man into a sitting position and helped him lean back against a crate. James looked around noting all the barrels of gun powder, boxes of ammo, rifles and other armaments. “They’ve got enough arms stored here to start a revolution.”  
“Which is exactly what they happen to be planning.” Gordon shifted position trying to ease all the bruises he had received at the hands of his captors. “We have to find a way to stop them, Jim, any ideas?”  
“No yet, but we have to take care of this stuff before we take care of the incipient revolution.” West rose to his feet and began searching through all the various boxes, barrels, and crates he finally located a box full of fuses and began lying them in the gun powder barrels. Once he had finished he sat down next to his partner and took off one boot heel at a time. One contained a malleable explosive the other held the fuse. He replaced his boot heels and went over to the door. Placing the explosive on the hinges he inserted a fuse long enough to reach back to where Artemus was sitting. “This is going to be close, do you think you can run for cover?”  
“I’ll do my best, let’s get this party started shall we?” Artemus forced himself to his feet and crouched behind James and readied himself for a mad dash to freedom. Laying his hand on his partner’s shoulder. “All right Jim, go ahead and lite the fuses.   
“Okay, here goes nothing.” James lit the fuses and counted softly underneath his breath. The door was blown off his hinges and both agents dashed out the door just as the barrels of gun powder exploded flinging them violently face first to the ground. The explosions continued and James hauled Gordon to his feet and dragged him out of the compound at a stumbling run. The two men got out of the compound as explosion continued setting off more and more explosions. James whistled and his big black stallion came trotting up to him. He boosted Gordon up into the saddle and mounted up behind him. Turning the horse’s head around the big black animal galloped off into the darkness.  
Finally near sunrise, James slowed the horse and allowed him to walk following a narrow trail along the top of a slender gorge. The sides were a steep drop to a constricted river filled with boulders and rapids. “Artie, how are you?” James asked from behind his partner. His strong arms were wrapped around the older man who was slumped forward holding on to the black’s mane to keep from falling off.  
“Jim, I need to stop, I’m not sure I can hang on any longer.” He gasped as the stallion stumbled slightly catching himself before he could fall on the trail.  
“I know, but we can’t stop now there is nowhere to stop. The trail is too narrow, we’re just going to have to wait.” James adjusted his arms around his partner’s chest. “Just hang in there Artie.”  
“This trail seems to go on forever, James.”  
“I know, but it’s the only way to get back to the train. You’ve never given up on me before, don’t give up on me now.” He allowed the horse his head along the narrow strip of gravel covered trail. His horse was the most sure footed he had ever had, and he trusted the animal with his and Artie’s lives. They proceeded along the trail lit only by moon and starlight. The only sound came from the river fifteen hundred feet below them. The stallion’s steel shod hooves rang against the stones, occasionally a stone would be knocked off the edge and go clattering down into the gorge. It wasn’t until the middle of the following day that they finally made it out of the canyon. Jim guided the horse to an open area and got off. He reached up and helped his partner to the ground. They slowly hobbled over to a large tree and the younger agent took off his jacket and used it for a pillow for Artemus. I’ll get the bedroll and blankets, just stay here.”  
“Not a problem, I’m too tired and sore to move.” Gordon pulled his jacket tighter around his chest. James rose to his feet, got the bedroll and blankets of his saddle, turned and laid them out next to the older man. “Artie, roll slightly to your left, the bedroll is laid out and you’ll be much more comfortable.” The older man did as instructed and West laid the blankets over him. He moved his jacket over and rested his partner’s head on it. “Try to sleep.” Rising he walked over to his horse, unsaddled him, groomed him, then tethered him to a bush and allowed him to graze. Walking around he gathered firewood, then set about making camp. After starting a fire and cooking breakfast he rose and crouched down beside his partner. Gently, touching the man on his right shoulder. “Artie, breakfast is ready, are you hungry?”  
The older agent’s eyes flashed open and he gazed momentarily at his partner. “Need sleep…please.”  
“Alright, go back to sleep. If you need anything call me.” James returned to the fire, sat down and ate his breakfast. His eyes roamed around the area, there was no birds, no animals, except his horse. The place mostly consisted of rocks, dead bushes and very little else. Behind him he heard the sound of rock striking rock. He reached for his gun and spun around to face the challenge. A horse came walking up the last of the trail nodding his head in greeting and the gelding trotted over to West, who holstered his gun and rose to his feet. “Missing Artie, are you?” he asked the brown horse. The animal whickered and rubbed his nose on James’ chest. “Come along you old fool,” he lead the horse over to his own and began untacking the animal. He tethered the horse to the same bush with his own, and left him to graze. James returned to the tree and leaned back against it crossing his arms over his chest and his ankles he lowered his hat over his eyes and drifted off to sleep. It was mid-afternoon when Artemus woke up and pushed himself into a sitting position. “Jim…Jim.” He reached out and grabbed his best friend by his upper arm.  
“Artie, what is it what’s the matter?” James asked instantly coming awake and alert, reaching for his gun.  
“Where did you find my horse?” He nodded toward the brown gelding.  
“The old fool followed us. Are you hungry?”  
“Ravenous would be the more appropriate term. Any food?”  
James smiled moved forward stirred up the fire to get it going, then taking the kettle and small cauldron he disappeared briefly and returned. Opening the nearside saddle bag he took out coffee grounds and dropped a handful into the kettle put the top on and set it next to the fire to heat. He took other this out of the other side of pair he took out several items, then moved over to Gordon’s and removed several more items and returned to the fire. He cut items in to smaller pieces and dropped them into the cauldron. After stirring the water briefly he set the blackened cooking pot into the fire and put the lid on. Picking up a cup he poured the hot coffee into then turned and handed it to his partner. “Be careful it’s fresh off the fire.”  
Artemus took the cup and sipped then heaved a sight of contentment. “Thanks, Jim. Whatever you have in that pot smells wonderful.”  
James turned around, lifted the lid and stirred the boiling liquid. He put the lid back on, “give it a couple more minutes.” He sat back on his heels and poured himself some coffee and sipped carefully not wanting to scorch is tongue and throat. Picking up a bowl and ladle he set the pot lid aside and poured some of the stew he had made filling the bow. He dropped a spoon in and handed it back to the older agent. Filling his own bowl, James moved back and settled down next to Gordon. “You know it’s nice to get good night’s sleep without someone trying to kill you or to get blown up, quiet peaceful really.” He began eating the stew.  
Artie gave him a suspicious look, then dug into the first food he’s had since his capture by the revolutionaries. “James, someday you will make someone a wonderful wife.”  
James burst out laughing, “Not in this lifetime.”  
“So when do you want to get back on the trail? Artemus rose partially and moved to the fire. He refilled his bow, handed his partner the coffee pot and resumed his seat. The younger agent had already refilled his cup.  
“Let’s wait ‘til tomorrow. You can use an extra day of rest. And there’s no hurry to get back, we’re due a furlough and I can’t think of a better place. No one is going to be able to find us out here, and it’s nice, peaceful and quiet. I certainly won’t mind taking my time getting back to the train, do you?”  
“Not in the slightest. Let’s just take our time.” Gordon set aside the bowl and sipped his coffee. “I’m not in any hurry. But I’ll bet you anything that once we do get back Skinny is going to want to yell at us.”  
“Artie, Skinny just wants to yell at us because he enjoys yelling at us. We’re the only agents in the entire service won’t don’t take him seriously. I mean the man’s never even been out in the field. What kind of director can he be if he has no idea what it’s really like out here?”  
“None, and that explains why his wife’s nephew is an agent and a complete ass at that.”  
“You’re in good humor today. Who put your knickers in a twist?”  
James burst out laughing, “My knickers?”  
Artemus joined him in laughter. “Gods, we haven’t done that in a long time.” He leaned back against the tree.  
“No we haven’t, but then we haven’t had much to laugh about lately. Do you want to move on tomorrow or stay here a few more days?” James asked.  
“How much food do we have?”  
“Enough to last for a couple weeks. We can always add to it. I could go hunting tomorrow. I’ve seen mule deer and they make really good steaks.  
“Since the weathers so nice, let’s just stay here. As you said it’s peaceful, quiet and there’s no one around to order us to do anything.” Gordon stretched his legs crossed his ankles and regarded his partner.  
The two agents shared the campsite, and cooking duties between them. They had camped this way more times than either on wanted to count. From the very beginning of the partnership he and James had bonded in a way that was highly unusual for men of their time period, but considering the danger their lives were in, Gordon supposed it was only natural. The two men reminisced about different the adventures Dr. Loveless; that little mad man had put them through. There was an actual love/hate relationship between his partner and the dwarf. Loveless was as brilliant as he was ruthless, but somehow every time he came up with a plan, James always seemed to come along at just the right moment or rather the wrong moment according to Loveless, and blow everything to smithereens. They shared a great deal of laughter and some sadness over colleagues they had both know and lost over the course of their partnership. Being in the secret service was life threatening at times, and downright dangerous all the time. But it was also a lot of fun sometimes and they did get to meet some awfully pretty girls in their travels around the western part of the U.S.  
Two weeks after making camp at the rim of the canyon he and James mounted their horses and rode back to the siding and the Wanderer. It took them another month before they arrived in Washington. Once there they had received order to report to Director Malone.   
Riding toward the Treasury building James suddenly grinned and began to laugh. “Want to drive Skinny crazy?”  
“Sure, but how?”  
“Remember when Dr Loveless was going to use those ducks to poison everyone?”  
“Yeah, so?”  
“Remember how we acted as if we simply didn’t care about anything he said or did.”  
“Yes, he got quite irritated if I remember correctly.”  
“Well. Skinny’s a lot like Dr. Loveless, only Dr. Loveless doesn’t shout at us as much as Skinny does. So we just take everything he says with a grain of salt, smile and do exactly what we’re planning to do anyway. Sound like a plan?”  
Gordon grinned, “Good plan.”   
The plan had started to work as soon as Skinny had started to yell at them, but then James collapsed and now here is was with his gravely ill partner and very young inexperienced doctor out in the middle of the Colorado Territory. “Have I condemned James to death by being out here? But no, the doctor said he had to have absolute quiet because outside stimulants would cause Jim to have even worse seizures than he’s already had. God’s I don’t know what to do and quite frankly neither does young Henry.”  
He felt a cold almost lifeless set of fingers squeeze his own. He quickly leaned forward and looked into pain filled green eyes. “I’m right here James. How can I help?”  
“I’m…I’m so cold, Artie, why is so cold? Is there a blizzard outside?”  
Artie took hold of the younger man’s hand as spoke softly and reassuringly. “It’s the middle of summer and its well over a hundred degrees out there. Just hold on, I’ll get Henry.” Gordon went to the door opened it. “Henry!!”  
The young physician came flying through the swinging door. “What’s happening?” He moved past Gordon and knelt beside the younger agent. He carefully reached out and touched James’ forehead. There was a violent reaction as Jim grabbed his wrist in an astonishingly tight grip.   
“Henry, stay perfectly still do not move, Jim could kill very easily if you even flinch he will kill you. Just stay calm and let me deal with James.” The older agent slowly moved to sit on the bedside near the door. “Jim, listen to me.” Artie slowly reached out and laid his hand over this partner’s wrist holding Henry’s  
“Jim, this is Doctor Henry Winston, he’s here to help you. He’s not going to hurt you. Let him go James.” Gordon’s hand simply rested on West’s wrist.   
Slowly ever so slowly the agent’s fingers released the doctor and he turned his head to look at his partner. “He’s the doctor? He’s just a kid, Artie.”  
“Excuse me, but I just turned thirty for your information, Mr. West.” The indignant young man reached into his bag and took out a thermometer shook it several time and looked at the mercury line. “Open up I need to check your temperature.”  
James glared at the young, but did as he was requested. James West was not a good patient, but then he had never been a good patient. He was expected to be in perfect physical shape at all times and be ready for action at all times, not lying here in bed who knew where in the Colorado Territory. “Now, Mr. West I have to listen to your heart and lungs and test your blood pressure. So please cooperate.”  
West nodded his assent, but when the bell of the stethoscope touched his chest it set off a seizure the likes of which James had yet to feel. The young man dropped the thermometer out of his mouth as he screamed in pain. Keeping the goose down quilt wrapped around his partner, Artemus pulled him into his arms and held on tightly.  
“What have I done?” Henry questioned as his fingers flew through his bag pulling out the strongest sedative he carried out of his bag drew a syringe and drew out the largest dosage he dared use on any patient. He grabbed hold of James’ arm slapped the crook of the man’s elbow to raise a blood vessel. Inserting the needle in the vein and pushed the plunger. In less than a minute the sedative began to work on the spasms coursing through the young agent’s muscles.  
Artie held him tightly against his chest, “Just hang on Jim…just hang on to me.”  
James was on the point of tears he was in so much pain every muscle even his heart was spasming. Gasping for breath he clung to his partner as spasm after spasm wracked his body. All he was able to was ride out the pain, not even the sedative seemed to be working. He felt another pinch in his elbow and soon the spasms began to lessen. The morphine began coursing through his system, and he finally drifted off to sleep.  
Henry looked at the sleeping man and sighed heavily in relief. “I gave him morphine in a nearly fatal dosage. Hopefully, he’ll sleep for a while. Mr. Gordon, I think I know what Mr. West has and it’s not good, not good at all.”  
“What is it Henry,”   
The young doctor cleared his throat. “I….I think your partner has tetanus. All the symptoms fit, especially the seizures, the difficulty swallowing, the fever and chills, and the rapid increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Do you know how close we are to Denver?”  
“No, you’ll have to ask Kelly, why?”  
“Because I need to get a hold of tetanus antitoxin and as fast as I can if I am to save your friend’s life.”  
“Go ask Kelly or one of the boys in the engine.” Artie still embraced his young partner.  
“I’ll be back. Keep him quiet and still as possible.” Henry paused at the door tuned and looked back at the two men. “Mr. Gordon I suggest you put your back against the headboard it will be much easier on you and allow Mr. West to breathe easier.”  
Henry left the parlor car and ran toward the engine. He yelled to get their attention. “Which one of you is Kelly?”  
A man wearing engineer stripped overhauls and cap looked down at the young man panting at the steps leading into the cab. “What canna I do for you?”  
“How close are we to Denver?”  
Kelly removed his hat and scratched his head. “Well, I’d say it’s about an hour maybe two. Why?”  
“We need to get to Denver as fast as possible or Mr. West is going to die a very unpleasant death. We have to leave now!” The doctor demanded turning and running back to the parlor car. Huffing and puffing, the doctor re-entered James’ bedroom and leaned over resting his hands on his knees.  
“We’re heading to Denver as quickly as possible, I need that tetanus antitoxin and get it into Mr. West as quickly as possible.”  
They felt the back and forth rocking of the car as the engine started moving forward slowly. It would take time for Wanderer to build up a head of steam, but the men in the cab knew what they were doing and the engine picked up speed. Two hours later, the whistle blowing and the bell clanging, Wanderer pulled up to an outside platform.   
Henry jumped down to the platform and ran to the front of Union Station and hailed a cab. He ordered the driver to Denver General Hospital. Once there he went straight to a colleague he knew was now living in Denver and on staff at DGH. He finally spotted his classmate and trotted up to him. “Edmond!” he called, waived and finally caught the man’s attention.  
“Henry!?” The doctor turned fully to face his classmate. “Henry Winston, what the devil are you doing in Denver?”  
“Never mind that now Eddie. I need your help. I need some tetanus antitoxin right now. I have a patient who’s dying. Can you get me some?”  
“What’s going on Henry?”  
“Never mind that Eddie, I need the antitoxin and I need it now. Will you come on!!” Harry pulled at his classmate’s upper arm.  
“All right, all right, calm down Henry,” Edmond Cleveland said as he headed down the hallway toward the pharmacy. “You can explain everything while the pharmacy gets the antitoxin ready. They entered the large open room filled with shelve up shelve of bottles containing medications, tisanes, infusions and other examples of the medical chemists art. Edmond wrote out the prescription for half a millimeter to be used in an intramuscular injection. “Henry you need to give this to your patient now, then another in a month’s time, a third in two months’ time, a fourth in six months and a final dose in one year. Do you have all of that?”  
“Yes, one dose now, another in a month, a third in two months, a fourth in six months and the final dose in one year. Got it.” Henry finished scribbling in a small notebook he habitually carried. He took the pre-loaded syringes and dashed off before he could thank his old classmate. He returned to the train and quickly entered West’s bedroom. Drawing one of the prepared syringes and attached a needle. Taking a piece of cotton he rubbed James’ upper arm and quickly gave him the antitoxin. “All right I gave him the antitoxin. I have to give him another dose in a month, then a third dose in two months, a fourth dose in six and the final dose in one year. This will also effectively provide a greater resistance to tetanus. Mr. West is still going to show symptoms anywhere up to four months and can last up to several months afterwards. We need to get him to the intensive care unit at Denver General Hospital.”  
“No, no hospital…” James painfully informed the doctor. “I hate hospitals.”  
“I’m sorry Mr. West, but there is no choice in the matter, there is still the chance you could die and as your doctor it is my responsibility to see that you are properly taken care of. You are going to the hospital and I am not giving you a choice in the matter. Right now, there is an ambulance waiting out in front of Union Station that will take you to Denver General Hospital. Mr. Gordon can accompany you, but he will not be able to stay with you. Right now, I think that putting you under sedation will allow you to be transported to the hospital without setting off another seizure. So just relax Mr. West, you’re going to be out of actions for quite a while.” Henry filled a syringe and injected James with a strong dosage of morphine. It didn’t take long for James to lose consciousness, and Henry rose, and opened the bedroom door to allow the stretcher bearers to pick James up and transfer him to the stretcher. They covered the young agent with a blanket, the men lifted the stretcher and carried West out of the train and into the back of the ambulance. Artemus climbed in beside James’ stretcher. They arrived and took James straight to the intensive care unit, placed him a bed and left. Gordon pulled a chair up beside James’ bed and settled in for a very long wait.

Intensive Care Unit Denver General Hospital  
Artemus Gordon rested one elbow on the bed, laid his hand on James’ shoulder and drifted back into memory of another case he and James had worked on. They had been in San Francisco and of course Dr. Miguelito Loveless was involved. He was once again demanding the return of his family land. Loveless had either purchased or rented a mansion in the area surrounding the city. It was rather dilapidated, showing its age. Windows panes were broken and shutters were hanging off the windows. The front door was closed, but it swung open at their approach. James looked suspiciously at Artie and they both shrugged, dismounted, tied their horses to the hitching post and entered the house.   
“Welcome, welcome Mr. West. Mr. Gordon. It is so good to see you again. You are looking quite well, these days Mr. West you too Mr. Gordon. Shall we go into the parlor and discuss this like gentlemen?”  
“What’s there to discuss?” James asked as he removed his hat and followed the dwarf into the parlor. “Please, gentlemen have a seat.” He waved at a pair of wingback chairs opposite a sofa. “Picking up a bell.” He rang it and a uniformed butler approached. “You rang, doctor?”  
“Yes, please bring us something to eat and drink, Clayton.”  
“Nothing for us, thank you.” West said. “Shall we get down to business? Why have you brought us here?”  
“I brought you here, Mr. West, Mr. Gordon. I want to show you something, something very important. Please come with me.” He dropped to the floor and waddled past them just as the butler arrived with sandwiches and dinks. “Never mind now Clayton, take that back to the kitchen. The little man lead them down a long spiraling set of stairs in a large cavern located underneath the mansion. There were tables filled with glassware half full of bubbling liquid. In every one of the bubbling glassware was a different colored liquid. There were at least four different tables covered with this glassware.  
“Oh, just ignore all that,” Loveless waved at the glassware. He moved into another room and waived at a large piece of machinery. “Do you know what that is Mr. West?”  
Both secret service agents walked over to the large machine and began looking walking around, looking at it. “Not a clue. So just exactly what is it?” West looked down at the little man.  
“It is a self-propelled machine of my own invention. No horses needed. Here let me give you a demonstration.” He awkwardly climbed behind a long stick, and began flicking switches and pushing buttons. “Well, climb in Mr. West, Mr. Gordon.” The two agent climbed in beside Loveless as the machine came to life. There was a huge bang and the machine began moving forward. The large wooden doors opened and they moved along the road leading out of the estate. They began picking up speed moving much faster than a horse could run. They hurtled along at a frightening speed and Artemus clapped his hand to his head in order to keep his hat in place. “Uh Dr. Loveless could you perhaps slow it down just a little, please?”  
“Are you frightened of my new machine, Mr. Gordon?” The little man laughed.  
“Not, exactly, but won’t you lose control?”  
“Never!” Loveless began laughing and laughing.  
Artemus looked a James who just shrugged and seemed to be enjoying the wild ride.  
Finally they returned to the house and Loveless drove the machine back into the underground cavern. “So, what do you think of my marvelous machine, Mr. West, Mr. Gordon?”  
“Uhhh…..quite frightening really.” Gordon replied still quite shaken by the experience.  
“Different.” Was all that James replied. “So what now, Dr. Loveless?”  
“Oh!! You really are the most infuriating person that I’ve ever met.” The inventor walked away from the machine and moved down in to his laboratory. He paused, turned back and looked at the pair. “Coming gentlemen, there is something else I have to show you.” He continued down through the laboratory and into another tunnel. In another cavern was a four wheeled platform on top of which was what both men knew was the largest rocket either agent has ever seen. “Now, gentlemen, let me explain.”  
“Don’t you mean boast?” James looked quietly at the deadly device.  
“I boast?! What do you mean Mr. West?” the inventor glared up at the agent. “I do not boast Mr. West. I am merely just apprizing you of my inventions and my intentions on using them that is all.”   
“My error. Please do go on.”  
“Now, you see my rocket sled, please remember my self-propelled machine. You see, this platform is also self-propelled. The rocket on top of this platform is powerful enough to destroy the entire city of San Francisco. If I do not get my family’s land returned to me I will launch this rocket and I will destroy San Francisco, then I will destroy Sacramento and Los Angles and I will keep on destroying until the Governor concedes my land back to me.”  
James looked at his partner and rolled his eyes upwards, shook his head and just began laughing.   
“What’s so funny Mr. West.” The dwarf asked.  
“Oh, just the number of times we’ve gone through this. You usually come out on the losing end of these uhhh…little confrontations.”  
“Lose!! I Dr. Miguelito Loveless lose!! NEVER!!!” He began pacing back and forth in front of the pair of agents. “I do not lose gentlemen, ever!”  
Before either man could react, a cage dropped surrounding them. James reached out to touch the bars and quickly retrieved his hand, shaking it as if he had just touched something very hot. “Electrified.” He backed into the center of the cage, pulling Gordon with him. “Any ideas?’  
“We need either glass or something to ground out the electricity.”  
“Would leather work?” James began removing his gun belt.  
“Two belts would work better.” Gordon removed his belt, and all the bullets and buckle, then did the same with his partner’s. Ever so slowly and carefully, Artemus eased the two belts between the bars directly over the lock and stepped back. Jim lifted his lapel removed his lock pick, then moved forward to put one arm through without getting stung, then put his other arm through and picked the lock. He carefully removed the lock and picked up both gun belts. He handed the gun belt to his partner. “Let’s get out of here and stop that crazy little mad man.”   
“You get Loveless and I’ll take care of that rocket.” Gordon dashed off toward the control board of the self-propelled sled.  
James ran down the tunnel and into the laboratory. “What?! How did you get lose?” Three henchmen came running into the cavern and tried to jump the federal agent. Jim showed no surprise with a swift series of punches and kicks which resulted in a great deal of destruction that caused Dr. Loveless to grab hold Antoinette’s hand and ran from the cavern. In the distance West could hear muffled explosions as Artemus had begun destroying the controls of the sled. The henchmen dashed off as another explosion blew dust, debris and small rocks down the tunnel. West glanced around as Artemus came dashing past him grabbing the younger man by the arm and pulled him along behind him. “We’ve got to get out of here!” Both men put on a burst of speed and barely made out before the house and everything exploded. They just managed to grab their frightened horses and mounted. The left behind ruin and devastation, which was the usual case when dealing with Dr. Loveless.  
Back in the present Artemus felt the shoulder under him begin to shake and James woke suddenly, fighting the sedation he was under. “Easy, James, it’s all right,”  
James’ hand clutched the blankets tightly as spasm after spasm wracked his body. The older agent quickly moved down the bed and took hold of his partner’s hand. “I’m right here James, just hold on, you’ll get through this.”   
Doctor Henry Thomas followed by Edison Cullens. “Henry, hurry his spasms are getting worse.” The doctor whirled and yelled at nurse to bring him more antispasmodics and sedation. The nurse came running down the hall. She dashed in the door and swiftly and handed the two doctor’s one syringe each. The administered the drug which had absolutely no effect on what was happening. The two men looked at each other, “Now, what Eddie, none of this is having any effect what so ever and it should have acted almost immediately.” Henry said his voice full of concern. The door to James’ room opened and Colonel Richmond entered his face creased with worry and concern. He stepped to the foot of the bed, and looked at the pain wracked face of James West. “He looks like death, what’s wrong with him Artemus?”  
Before Gordon could answer, both doctors took him by the arms and escorted him out of the room. “Please, sir, he’s not allowed visitors.”  
“Unhand me gentlemen.” The Colonel pulled his arms free and he whirled to face them. “I am Colonel Richmond of the United States Secret Service. Now, exactly what is going on here?”  
“Please, keep your voice down the patients in this area are in critical condition.” Doctor Cullens ordered.  
“Then tell me what’s going on here? What’s happened to James West?”  
“He’s got tetanus, how I don’t know, but he does have it. I’ve been treating him since he collapsed in Washington. When I first saw Mr. West I believed that he had been poisoned with cyanide but he did not display the proper symptoms. My secondary diagnosis was malaria, but there is no sign of the malarial parasite in Mr. West’s blood samples. The only disease that fits all the symptoms that Mr. West is displaying is tetanus. I’ve been treating him when came to Denver. I needed to come here because I don’t carry tetanus toxoid. I had to come here to get it. Edmond here is a former classmate and we’ve have been treating Mr. West’s condition. We brought him back here to receive better treatment than I could give him on the train, although I am having second thoughts about the train. He needs to be taken somewhere quite where he can rest, without being disturbed the quieter it is the better for Mr. West. Mr. Gordon has to accompany us, Mr. West only seems to respond to Mr. Gordon’s presence and I can’t treat Mr. West without Mr. Gordon.”  
The door to James’ room flew open and Artemus stood there. “Henry, he’s stopped breathing.”  
Both doctors rushed into the room to see James lying motionless with a blue tint to his lips. The doctors quickly laid the bed flat and shoved a pillow underneath James’ shoulder and lowering his head so that his chin pointed toward the ceiling. Dr. Cullens grabbed an instrument and depressed his patients tongue allowing access to his glottis and very carefully inserted a thin flexible tube into the trachea and began to blow into it. West’s chest rose and fell with each breath the doctor took. A nurse entered with a device she gave to the doctor who attached it to the end of the tube and began squeezing a small balloon which did the same thig his breathing into to the tube did. “Nurse, I want you to squeeze this balloon every five second and don’t stop until I tell you.” Edmond instructed. “Yes, doctor.” The nurse took over and Cullens turned to Thomas. “Henry, I think you’re right about getting him out of here. This place is not quite enough. They just keep setting off spasms and he isn’t improving. Any ideas?”  
Henry looked at Artemus, “Could we go back to where we were before?”  
Gordon thought for a split second. “I don’t see why not, it’s certainly secluded enough.”  
“Alright, we’ll get him ready to be taken back to the train and you get the train ready to take us back to wherever that was.” Thomas said.  
Artemus awaited the two doctors and James to arrive. The ambulance stopped at the platform and two men carried the stretcher bearing West into the car and directly to his bedroom. By the time they had the younger agent settled and the stretcher bearers had left James was breathing easier and the severe spasms had dropped dramatically. Colonel Richmond stood in the doorway of the small bedroom and looked at the two best agents his service had ever seen. Their reputation among their own agents was towering, and even the enemies they were reported as undefeatable and James’ reputation was indestructible, now he knew better. The downright fear in Gordon’s face actually made his heart ache. The two men had been together since eighteen sixty one. They had been assigned to partner each other by General Ulysses S. Grant. The paring had exceeded beyond all their superiors expectations. Once the war was over President Abraham Lincoln had made sure that the pair were assigned to his new department called the secret service. The new department was a part of the Treasury Department and was founded to fight counterfeiting. It turned out that they did much much more than that. Once General Grant became President Grant, Artemus Gordon and James West were assigned directly to him, by his orders. They received their assignments directly from the President and reported to and answered only to the President. Rumors in the department had it that the President trusted those two men more than he did anyone else, even his personal guard. Richmond remained standing in the doorway watching as the two doctors worked on the younger man. He watched Gordon’s eyes, they never left West’s face, and those brown eyes were filled with fear and sparkled with unshed tears. The Colonel knew there was a deep bond between the two men, but until now he hadn’t realized that bond was much more than friendship. He realized that it was actually possible that Gordon and West actually loved each other as brothers. He could hear the doctors talking to each other incoherent mumblings as he eyes never left Gordon’s face. A realization hit him so hard he nearly staggered with its insight. He knew beyond any doubt that if James West died so too would Gordon. The older agent would never survive the younger man’s death. He knew Gordon was prepared to lose James to gunfire, or accident or any number of other issues that secret service agents faced on a routine and daily basis in the performance of their duties. But Artemus was not prepared to lose James West not like this. The doctors finished and Gordon seated himself beside West’s sick bed, he took hold of the younger agents hand and remained silent. He moved out of the doorway, allowing the two doctors to go past him into the parlor. He took one more look at the pair and closed the bedroom as quietly as possible and entered the parlor. “Doctors?”  
The two men turned as one and looked at the regional director of the secret service. “Yes, Colonel.”  
“What’s going to happen to Mr. West?”  
“We’re going to take him some place very quiet where he could recover without interference and too many people Mr. West’s condition is still critical, and he needs as much as peace and quiet as possible. Kelly the engineer said he would take us back to where we came from, it was the perfect place for Mr. West to recover. Are you planning on going with us Colonel?”  
“No just keep in touch with me through the telegraph, I want to know about both men, doctors. These two men are vital to the security of this country, and we need them healthy and back on the job. If you need a telegraph it’s in that bookcase on the desk.” Richmond left the car and the whistle blew twice and the bell began ringing as the engine started up and the Wanderer and its attached cars began to leave Union Station. Richmond stood on the platform watching the train leave him behind. He sighed, turned and left the station to return to his duties as regional director of the secret service.

Somewhere in the Territory of Colorado  
Artemus watched Colonel Richmond stare at James’ face, then at his own. There had been deep concern in the Colonel’s light blue eyes. Gordon closed his eyes as James’ hand remained motionless in his own. His mind shifted through memories of his partnership with West. His vision faded and he began to remember.   
The heat was oppressive, stifling actually, it felt like he was in an oven trying to breathe superheated air. The sweat was running down his face and there was nothing he could do to get away from it. He and James had been chasing a wily Mexican bandit who was terrorizing local citizenry forcing them to leave behind everything they had worked so hard for. He and James had been sent in to stop the man and his band and bring them to justice. The bandits had run into the mountains surrounding Tucson. The Superstitions were dangerous at best, and anyone going in there unguided was more than likely to never return, alive that is. There had been two trails that the bandits were likely to use so he and James had split up each taking a trail that lead deep into the mountainous dessert. He was riding a new horse, one he had never ridden before. He own familiar horse was lame due to a bowed tendon and had to be retired, so he had gone to the local horse fair and purchased this red roan. What a mistake he was turning out to be. The animal was hard mouthed, skittish and recalcitrant. He was completely unreliable and had a tendency to try to bite and or kick anyone who tried to handle the vicious animal’s feet. He took off his hat, swiped his arm across his forehead to wipe the sweat away. He wondered if James was doing any better than he was, and quite frankly he wasn’t doing all that well. He signed heavily gave the horse a hard kick in the side and they moved off at slow walk along a narrow trail. He came to the end of the trail he had been following it met another trail and paused wondering which way to go. Dismounting, he began searching the ground looking for hoof prints, boot prints any indication that someone had passed, but there was nothing. No indication of anyone. He rose to his feet and looked around, there was nothing, but rocks, rocks and more rocks. An occasional cactus could be seen, but nothing else. Then he spotted something, pulling the recalcitrant animal behind him. He bent over and picked up a thrown horse shoe. He couldn’t tell if it was a recent shoe or an old one. It was thin with rust spots and several nails still in the holes that were used to attach the piece of metal to the bottom of the horse’s hoof. He remounted and continued in the direction he had been going. The trail got steeper climbing up toward a pass that would lead him deeper into the Superstitions. He knew of the mountains reputation and he didn’t like it. He was uncomfortably hot, his shirt stuck to his body as the horse moved. Down below him he could hear what sounded like water, but it couldn’t be, these mountains were known for their lack of water. About half way up the trail his horse came to an abrupt halt, he suddenly screamed in fear and reared twisting away from the rattlesnake in the center of the trail. Artemus lost his seat as the gelding twisted causing him to fall. He hit the ground hard and rolled right off the edge of the cliff. That was the last thing he remembered for a very long time. Slowly coming awake, he groaned and tried to move, but the pain caused him to lose consciousness again. He regained consciousness when the rising sun began to rise above the ridge of near-by mountains. Slowly he got his elbows underneath himself and got into a sitting position. He managed to work his way back away from the cliff and up against the mountain side. He left right ached and he couldn’t feel his toes on that foot. He breathed heavily and assessed his situation, and it looked pretty pour indeed. He had no water, no shade and a badly broken right leg. He shifted around trying to make himself more comfortable and failed miserably. He was going to die out here just like hundreds of others, other men who had going searching for the Lost Dutchman Mine and had failed. James was busy elsewhere, and had no idea that he was in any kind of trouble. Suddenly, he heard the familiar rattling of a snake. With lightning speed the snake struck biting him right in the middle of his cavalry boot, he could feel the tips of the snakes fangs just graze his calf. He remained motionless trying to suppress his fear of the reptile. Finally after getting its fangs untangled from the cloth, and leather the snake slithered off looking for a better spot to hunt for food. Artemus breathed a sigh of relief and tried to stop shaking. “Well, old boy, you’ve escaped one death only to face a much more difficult and lingering one.” He leaned back against the rock wall. His leg was numb now the pain of the break had disappeared, but that really didn’t matter as the sun rose higher in the sky. It was going to be hot, unbearably hot, and here he was stuck on ledge with no water and no way to climb out. Time passed agonizingly slowly as he tried to be as still and quite as he could conserving energy, although just why he was converging his energy he had no answer for. The sun continued to rise moving across the sky as it done for since the beginning of time. The heat increased causing him to sweat, losing precious fluids. He picked up a small pebble and stuck it in his mouth hoping he had some saliva left. He seemed to fall in to a half sleep as the day wore on. The sun moved across the sky the temperature increased and Gordon continued to drift incased in heat, pain and confusion. The day wore on and on seemingly to never come to an end. Finally the light in the sky began to dim the sky over head changed colors as the sunset. Cooling the canyon, dropping the temperature dramatically, and Artemus began to shiver with the dropping temperature. He had survived another day, how long could he survive out here, helpless, alone and injured, he had no idea, but it would not be long. He shivered his way through the depths of the night. The only light came from the stars overhead. He looked up and saw more stars than he could even possibly count. The colors were beautiful, actually he had seen the stars before, but nothing like the display he was seeing on this night. The milky-way was on full display above him. He wondered if this was his last night on Earth, and maybe the heavens were displaying its best just for him. All he could do was watch as meteor after meteor streaked across the heavens. He couldn’t even count the number flying past going only God knew where. Gordon began to hallucinate, visions of the war, gun fire, cannon fire and the huge conflagration at the wilderness. James West had come to his rescue, not only saving his life but his entire companies lives as well. It was the first time, but not the last time that his best friend and saved his life. James had no idea where he was and this time there would be no timely rescue. His breathing slowed as he drifted into unconsciousness. Once again the sun began to rise on another day and the temperature began to rise with it. Gordon came suddenly awake, not quite sure what had a woken him. He thought he had heard a noise. He though he heard James’ voice, but he knew that his partner had no idea where he was. He remained quiet trying to conserve what little resources he had.   
“Artie!!” James West slowly walked his horse along the trail. He could hear the steel shod hooves as they walked along the hard packed earth. Stones occasionally were knocked off the cliff edge. West removed his hat, wiped the sweat off his forehead and replaced it. “Artemus??”  
There was no reply, from the tracks he had found he knew that his partner was somewhere in the benighted canyon. The only problem was he had no idea where. He had tracked Artie’s horse up this ravine, the animal had a crack in one shoe. He had followed that shoe print up this desolate trail. He had found most of the Mexican bandit gang and had taken them back to Tucson to face the justice they so richly deserved. Now, all he had to do was find his partner. “Artie!!” Still there was no reply, so he continued to walk slowly up the increasing incline of the trail. “Artemus Gordon!!” He pulled his horse to a stop and listened. All he heard was the scream of an eagle as it soared over the canyon. Gently tapping the animal on the flanks he got it to move forward.  
Artemus stirred, not quite believing he was hearing James’ voice. Breathing hard he struggled to wet his mouth enough to call out. “Jim?!”  
There was no response to his call, he realized his voice wasn’t strong enough for his partner to hear him. He tried once more to call out. “Jim!!...Jim!! I’m here!!” He called several times still getting no response.  
West halted his big black stallion and listened closely he could barely hear the call. It came from ahead of him and yet down below him. He urged his horse forward listening for the sound of his partner’s voice. “Artie!! Artemus Gordon!!”  
“Jim…Jim…I’m down here!” Artie called trying to increase the strength of his voice.   
West quickly dismounted, knelt down at the edge of the trail. He peered over the edge spotting his partner sitting on a narrow ledge. “Artie?!”  
Gordon peered upwards spotting the deeply tanned face of his partner. “Jim. Thank gods I seemed to have gotten myself into a bit of a pickle.”  
“What have you done this time?”  
“I fell off that despicable horse I bought, and ended up down here. I also seemed to have broken my right leg. Oh yes, I’ve also been bitten by a rattlesnake. I think that about covers it.”  
“Can you move?”  
Artie tried to move, but was unable to do so. “Not really, it hurts too much. I think if I try I’ll pass out.”  
“That’s all right, I’ll come and get you, just hang on.” The younger agent removed his rope from his saddle and tied it tightly to the saddle horn. Moving carefully to the edge he threw the other end of the rope over the side of the cliff. He watched the end fly past the ledge his partner was stuck on. Pulling tightly on the rope he repelled down to the older agent landing lightly on the edge next to Gordon. “I’m not going to be able you help you much, James, sorry ‘bout that.”  
“Not a problem,” James wrapped the end of the rope under his partner’s arms and tied the rope in the center of his chest. ‘You’re going to have to hang on tightly. Just don’t let go Artie.” Gordon watched as James swarmed up the rope to the cliff edge. “Ready?” He heard James call from above him. “All right go ahead.”  
James moved to his horses head and slowly one step at a time pulling his partner up the cliff side. Finally, West saw his partner’s head and shoulders rise above the trail edge and the rest of him followed. He stopped the horse, then slowly backed him up until he was just beside his partner. Kneeling down, the younger agent untied the rope and helped his partner to sit up. “Water, please Jim. I need water.” The younger man rose to his feet, grabbed his canteen and returned. He removed the top and held it steady while Artemus swallowed several large gulps of the precious liquid.  
James pulled the water away, “Not too much now. I’ll give you some more later. I don’t want you to get sick.”   
Gordon nodded his head in agreement. “Just how are you planning on trying to get me out of here?"  
James looked between his horse and his partner and smiled. “By horseback of course.”  
“Okay, but how will I get on that horse of yours? I can’t walk on my right leg, remember?”  
James just grinned and backed the horse up a couple of steps so that the saddle’s stirrup was right beside his partner. “Now, just watch.” The younger agent gently tapped the stallion just behind the elbow. The big black dropped to his knees then laid down on his side the saddle facing him. James gently assisted his partner on to the large animals back, making sure that his partner’s broken leg was lifted over the saddle and strapped to the stirrup stabilizing it. He mounted up behind his partner holding him tightly in his arms as the stallion climbed to his feet. Carefully the horse turned in a very tight circle and headed back down the trail toward Tucson. They finally reached Tucson and found a doctor who could set his partners leg. Once it was cast he borrowed a carriage and took the older agent to the train and got him settled. As they traveled toward Denver James had told him how he had trained his horse to lie down on command. Artie was amazed, but then even as a young man James West had a way with horses, any animal actually. There wasn’t an animal that the younger agent couldn’t train. It had taken multiple surgeries to set the badly broken tibia and fibula, and nearly six months before he was back on his feet. If it hadn’t been for James, he would have been just one more skeleton among the many skeletons that dotted the Superstition Mountains.

Somewhere in the Colorado Territory  
Artemus came back to himself as the memories died away and he looked into his partner’s confused eyes. “Jim?” He leaned forward hoping the confusion in those eyes would clear. “James?” He spoke clearly and slowly. The eyes focused on him as the confusion left West’s eyes.  
“Artie?”  
“Good, you know me.”   
“I should think so, we’ve been together since sixty one. Gods, my head aches.”  
“Is that all that hurts?” Gordon watched his partner for any clue as how the younger agent was feeling.  
“Artie, what’s going on?”  
“You’ve been sick James, so sick that I thought I was going to lose you. You had a tetanus infection. You’ve been treated by two doctors the one I brought from Washington and the second we brought from Denver. And as for where we are, we’re somewhere in the Colorado Territory only Kelly and boys in the engine know where and I haven’t asked. So, I have no idea where we are. And I am very glad to see you awake and coherent at last.”  
“How…how long have we been here?” James squirmed around on the mattress.  
Artie looked at him suspiciously “Jim, are you all right?”  
James blushed furiously, then stammered, “I gotta take a leak.” Continued to blush, and kept shifting on the mattress.  
Artie grinned and began to chuckle. James glared murder at his partner and continued to squirm. Rising the older man pulled his partner’s blankets back and helped the young man to his feet and with a steadying hand he guided James to the bathroom. While the younger man was busy, Artie filled the tub with hot water and laid soap and a towel out along with his partner’s razor and shaving cream. “Bath’s ready whenever you are, and there’s shaving cream, your razor and I’ll bring you clean clothes. Just take your time, James, there’s no hurry.”  
“Artie?”  
“Yes?”  
“You didn’t answer my question. How long have we been here?” James sank into the hot water up to his neck.  
“We’ve been out of circulation for nearly a year, James. We had to be, I wasn’t about to leave you to face this alone. Besides I make a pretty good nurse.”  
“Artie.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Thanks.”  
The older man smiled leaving the bathroom. “You’re welcome, partner.” Gordon entered the parlor and both doctors looked up in surprise. It was highly unusual to see the older agent anywhere but at his partner’s bedside. “Is everything alright, Mr. Gordon?”  
“Yes, James is conscious and actually taking a bath right now.” The smile on the secret service agent’s face was priceless.  
Both doctors relaxed, “Well that’s good to know, seems our treatment worked. Mr. West will need one last treatment at the end of the month. Then he will have to be monitored on a yearly basis. So if we can stay here, until he has received that final treatment. Do you think you can keep him here until then?”  
“He’s going to need to recover his physical condition and here is a pretty good place to do that. I think I can talk him into it.”  
“Talk me into what?” James wrapped his dressing gown around his thin frame.   
“Oh to staying here longer so you can get your health and strength back before we go back to Denver. Oh, James this is Henry Winston,” Gordon pointed to a lean, young man with a pair of round spectacles perched on a narrow beak of a nose. He’s the doctor I brought with us from Washington. And the other gentleman is Doctor Edmond Cullens, he’s from Denver, so we have to go back there first to return him. Once we’ve done that we’re going on to Washington. As you said to me once before President Grant seems to like you for some reason, although you can’t seem to figure out why. But, we’re under orders to report directly to him upon our return to active duty. And he’s not going to take no for an answer.”  
James slowly lowered himself to the sofa and leaned back, “No, the President does not take no for any answer, and he hates excuses. Thank you gentlemen for saving my life.”  
They answered together. “You’re quite welcome, Mr. West.”  
“We’ll be staying here until the end of the month so that you may receive your final treatment. Once that is done, then you’ll need to be monitored, which Mr. Gordon is fully capable of doing. You will also have to be seen yearly, either Dr. Cullens or myself. Tetanus can come back and you can have a relapse and we don’t want that to happen. Also we’d like to monitor you as your recover your health and strength while we’re here and quite undisturbed.”  
Jim reclined back against the sofa and looked at his partner. “Just how long is this going to take?”  
“What difference does that make, you’ve been here nearly a year. Actually, it will be a year at the end of the month. It has taken both of us to keep you alive Mr. West, please be patient. We don’t want to go through this all over again, and you definitely don’t.” Cullens leaned forward resting his forearms on his knees. “And I know that Mr. Gordon definitely does not want to go through this ever again.”  
James looked at the care worn, exhausted face of Artemus Gordon. “All right, I’ll follow orders.”  
“Very good. I suggest that you start eating a good diet, and do strength training, for right now.”  
“Well, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I think I’ll prepare lunch.” Gordon rose and left the parlor.  
James rose and followed his partner into the tiny kitchen. “Are you all right Artie?”  
“I will be, now that you’re back on your feet. You may not be at the peak of health, but at least you’re alive. Between us I am sure that we can get you back to your former condition. It may take a while, but we’ll get there.” Gordon watched his partner cross his arms over his chest and lean his shoulder against the door frame.   
“Jim?” the older man looked at sideways at West, “what’s going on in that head of yours?”  
“Truth to tell, right now not much,” he snorted, heaved a sigh and watched as his partner began preparing food. “Do we have enough supplies?”  
“Oh, yes, we took on a years’ worth of supplies for the four of us. We still have plenty of food. You haven’t been eating up to your usual standards, James my boy. So I’m going to make sure that you get back to your usual self before we get back to Washington.”  
“I’m sure you will.” He paused looked down at his slippered feet and thought for a brief moment. “Artie?”  
“Uh huh?” The older man was concentrating on his cooking. He paused in whipping up his soufflé. “James?”  
The younger man finally looked at his best friend and the one person he loved more than his own life. “Thank you…thanks for everything.” West grinned at him.  
“Any time…partner…any time.”


End file.
